Trump's speeches are helping people learn English. Really.

[underpants]

https://www.wired.com/2017/03/trumps-speeches-perfect-tutorials-esl-students/

WE’VE GOT SOMETHING bigly to tell you. It’s a ‘uge thing. The best thing. The most important thing you’ll hear all year. Here it is: Trump’s language—all the middle-school-level vocabulary and grammar of it—is actually serving a greater purpose. It’s helping early English learners grasp this country’s complicated language.

The trend emerged back in February, when a post in the Polyglots group—a collection of Facebookers who love language and discuss linguistics—shared a piece from Good about Japanese translators struggling to parse Trump’s speech. Commenters chimed in, noting that early language learners could benefit from the listening practice. He “uses low-level vocabulary, and he often repeats himself, and he only talks about simple ideas,” wrote Rob Mallory, an English teacher in South Korea.

Denis also suggests a lack of style-shifting in Trump’s language—the ability to change speech patterns depending on who we’re speaking to—might hinder more advanced learners from picking up useful lessons. (Denis uses the example of a formal job interview versus a casual time out with friends). And though early learners can find comprehension in Trump’s repetitive and simple language, advanced learners and native speakers are often confused by his rambling, tangential style, another reason linguists say Trump might not be the best learning tool.

“When speaking off the cuff, he seems to lack cohesion, jumping or circling from one topic to the next and often mistakenly assuming a shared context with his audience,” says Georgetown University Department of Linguistics linguist Luke Plonsky. “This lack of a linear progression of ideas would present a challenge for anyone, not just those individuals listening in their second language.”

[yurbud]

1. after they master those 17 words, then what?

[underpants]

2. The world is your oyster. Bigly.